Vintage Golden Era Buffet Crampon R13 Clarinet

One of several Buffet Crampon clarinets we are offering for sale.  This is a vintage R13 in Bb.  S/n 818XX puts it at 1965-1966, right at the beginning of Buffet’s Golden Era of production.  It is in very good condition:  wood is a nice, heavy grain of grenadilla as expected, with one very short crack about ¼” long starting at the lower tenon and terminating in a post hole.  This does not appear to have gone through into the bore, has been sealed permanently, and will never be an issue.  It has just been through the shop where it was completely disassembled, cleaned, bore oiled, hand polished, and had all new tenon corks installed.  Repadded with Kraus synthetic pads—one of the quietest and longest-lasting pads you can get.  Plays very nicely with a very full, warm tone and an open feel.  One pad cup on the upper joint has a small crack in the edge as seen in the photos.  We thought about repairing this but just left it, as the pad seals properly and it doesn’t affect performance at all.  Keys are solid (German) silver, which doesn’t polish up as bright and shiny as silver plate, but also will not wear through.  The trill key on the lower joint has been shortened somewhat, likely for a prior owner with large fingers who kept hitting it accidentally.  Includes a Vandoren Serie 13 mouthpiece in an M13 Lyre facing, Rovner inverted ligature, and new ProTec microfiber cloth.  Bore oil, key oil, and cork grease are for local pickup only and will not be shipped.  All in a very nice, pouchette-style case with zippered cover, strap, and zippered pocket.  A great clarinet from a great period at more than $2,000 less than brand new!